A uniform customary code? Marital breakdown and women's economic entitlements in rural Bijnor

Drawing on research in rural Bijnor district, western Uttar Pradesh, this a rticle explores some of the implications of the Shah Bano controversy in th e mid-1980s, and of the associated communalisation of politics, for local-l evel communal and gender politics. It makes three main points. First, the c rucial parallels in the domestic lives of Hindu and Muslim women in rural B ijnor undermine Hindu Right assertions that Muslim women are uniquely oppre ssed, for instance, in relation to marital breakdown. Second, while politic al developments on the national stage have been highly significant in terms of local-level communal politics in Bijnor, the Muslim Women Act appears t o have had no impact on the economic situations of rural Muslim women. Thir d and following from the first two points, bringing local-level gender poli tics into the frame alongside the communalisation of politics raises questi ons about strategic priorities in the struggle for gender equity in India.